Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes is confident that star safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph will play at some point during the 2026 season. While Holmes expressed optimism, he could not provide a firm timetable for their return.
"We still have confidence that they can come back, you just can't really give an exact timeline," Holmes told the media on Wednesday. "But, yeah, they're both here, they're rehabbing, they're working hard, just can't offer a timeline but yeah, the hope is to have both of them back soon."
Both Branch and Joseph were placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, a designation that guarantees they will miss at least the first four games. Branch is recovering from a December Achilles injury that ended
his 2025 season early, while Joseph is dealing with a degenerative knee issue that limited him to just six games played last season.
Neither practiced during training camp and did not appear in any of the Lions' preseason games. The earliest return date for the pair would be Week 5 at Arizona on Oct. 11. Detroit will face New Orleans, Buffalo, the New York Jets and Carolina during in the preceding four-game stretch.
Detroit's Week 2 trip to Highmark Stadium stands out as particularly challenging. The Bills were the NFL's 15th-ranked passing offense last season, led by former league MVP Josh Allen who threw for the 11th-most yards in 2025. In their last meeting, Detroit gave up 48 points and 362 yards through the air in a six-point loss.
Throughout much of training camp and preseason, Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard used Chuck Clark and Avonte Maddox as the primary safeties. Clark appeared in 15 of the Steelers' 17 games last season, starting five. He recorded three pass deflections, one forced fumble and 51 combined tackles. Maddox was a rotational defensive back on Philadelphia's Super Bowl championship team before signing a one-year contract with the Lions in 2025.
The Lions' secondary struggled mightily last season due to a wave of major injuries that depleted the unit's top-end talent and depth. Communication breakdowns and coverage lapses across the defense led to the Lions ranking No. 20 in passing yards allowed per game.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions confident Branch, Joseph return following PUP stints
